Prequel to sequel of Found again
by Thependacticcircle
Summary: on the return road to Erebor


**Okay all, so this is the Prequel to the sequel to Found Again , which I know is long overdue. I promise, i'm working on it and it will be uploaded soon. Just search Thependacticcircle and you'll find them. Blessed Be. Thanks for your patience. WARNING: this does have mature scenes, maybe not so much this section though, take that as you will, you've been warned. This pick up after the rescue of Kili.**

In Filis' arms , Kili grew utterly still, Leo could see him going limp, his head falling back as his friend finally lost his battle with consciousness. Suddenly a hot fire lit in his bones at the site of him. He wanted to find every one of them and beat them until they all felt the pain they had all had to endure every single day at their hands. He walked over to where his brother was holding him and looked down into his friends face, observing with a close eye.

" He's going into shock." He rasped out. His brothers' grip tightened on him significantly, beneath his hood, there was a flash of disturbed and deeply concerned blue eyes. He shook him, trying to get a response.

"Kee?!" He was just about to reassure Fili when from behind him there came a great derisive snort. Jasmine and Fili did the right thing by ignoring him, but Leo turned around, and that was the exact mistake the man needed to start. He chuckled darkly.

" That ones' going to the crypts, looks like he might already be there. Let him go with him to wherever he wants. In the mean time, shouldn't you be inside turning your tricks? I believe that piece of ass over there is mine, " He winked luridly at Jasmine, " I have plenty of money, so I think it'll be an all nighter. Hope you're ready sweetheart." Leo hauled back without further warning, and dropped the patron with a blow to the jaw.

"Leo!" Jasmine cried , letting out a half quiet scream. She was shocked as hell at his display, having known him for a pacifist all their life together. He had always told her, and Kili as well , that no matter what anyone did to you, you should never retaliate, that it made you just like them. He always said they'd get their own in time, that they always did. He was just as shocked as she was as he turned , blood staining one side of his cheek, shaking out his now bruised knuckles. Fili had put Kili up in his cart while this exchange had taken place, and he now had his hand on his dagger hilt, watching them both. When he saw the patron on the ground, he quietly slipped it off and turned away.

"I-ima, i'm okay." Leo stuttered out. Jasmine rolled her eyes as he attempted to smile at her and seized him by the front of his tunic. She pulled him up into the cart beside Kili. Fili climbed into the drivers' seat. As he started the trap going down the road , Jasmine out her hands in Leos' hair and leant her head against his. She let out a sigh.

" Leo, I love you, but sometimes you have no sense of self preservation."

" Necessary." He grunted in return. She released him and turned to Kili. " We're safe now, he's safe now. It's what we've always wanted, Leo. He always promised, one day, ever since we met him. He'll be thrilled when he wakes up. He was always telling us-"

"I promise, and a Durin always keeps his promises. " Leo finished, letting a smile cross his face as she reached over and tightened the blanket around his shoulders. As they trundled on, Fili turned and called back to Leo,

" Hey, you all right?" Leo nodded in return.

" Oh, he'll be fine," Jasmine returned, pulling him down across her lap, " He just has to learn to be less protective." He let out a grunt as she head locked him affectionately. Fili smiled softly and turned around to watch the pony.

" That's what my brother used to tell me all the time."

" How far are we?" Leo returned.

" If we travel on through the night we should reach Erebor by morning, but I don't really want to put too much stress on Kili. I want to take care of him and i'm sure you all could use some rest. Mahal knows in could use some or soon I won't be of much use. I have a friend in a safe part of town whose offered me the use of his house for the night. He's a good man whoi've known for many years. He works as a healer in Erebor under Oin. Normally he'd be up there with Oin right now, but he's gone to ready the house and to watch over us for the night while we are there. Is that alright with you?"

"Nothing better." Jasmine responded. Leo the time they made it to the house, Leo was all but asleep with his head in Jasmines' lap, Kili as still as ever beside them house was quiet and empty when they entered. But a pair of boots and a cloak were hung on a peg and sprawled on the floor below. A warm fire burned in the grate.

" Looks like no ones' home." Leo observed as he walked through the house.

" He'll be here." Fili responded. He placed his brother gently on the bottom bunk of the bed closest to him, the one his wife had slept in as a child. " Here," He patted the bunks on the opposite side of the room, top and bottom, " Feel free, make yourselves comfortable. You can relax here, no one is going to come after you, and if they do, i'll be more than happy to stick them with the pointy end of my sword." A voice whistling a carefree tune whispered through the door , getting closer as they listened. " Ah, right on schedule." He spoke up. An impossibly tall, skinny man with a shock of black hair, warm, tired blue eyes, and skin the color of dying leaves, leaned his hand s against the doorframe and pulled himself into the room. He was still dressed in a royal blue pair of healers robes. Fili offered him a bright warm smile upon sight. He gestured to his younger brother on the bed. Upon seeing him, relief and immense happiness crept into his face. He spoke a sentence in Khudzul to Fili and Fili return with a response in the same tongue. At this, the man was accepting , taking full stock of the room he was in.

" I'm going to clean Kili up." Fili told both Leo and Jasmine. He took his brother gently into his arms , Kili not stirring an inch , and ducked under the mans' arm and out into the afternoon beyond. Once Fili had disappeared with his charge, his eyes turned to Leo and Jasmine, huddled on one bed together, looking up at him with apprehensive eyes.

" Hello." He greeted. The happy in his voice was genuine. " I'm Torvin, welcome to my humble, and slightly dirty, abode. Sorry about that. "His dirty feet were bare and covered in mud. He sank with a tremendous groan onto an over turned crate, taking a bowl of water and a rag from nearby and proceeding to clean his feet with it. Leo was the first to find his voice, punctuated by a halting speech that told of his growing fever.

" I'm Leo." Torvin offered him a long, slow look. As someone who was a paid healer in the courts of Erebor, Jasmine was sure he was subtly giving him the once over to determine what was wrong. His bloody cheek did not go unnoticed and Torvins eyes narrowed slightly, but he had the good grace to say nothing of it. Jasmine returned his look, gripping Leo's hand, trying to stroke soothing circles into the back.

"Oh, good." He responded cheerily, continuing to wipe his feet. It was only now slightly forced.

" I'm Jasmine."She told him. He looked up and smiled.

"Hi, Jasmine." She couldn't explain it, but Torvin to her , brought an immense amount of comfort and a peace of mind she hadn't had in a very long time. For the first time in years, she felt a warm , real smile spread across her face at his voice, speaking her name.

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His little brother lay on the bank, looking for all the world like he'd just gone to sleep. If Fili closed his eyes and let the last four years erase themselves; all the worry, confusion, grief, pain, wondering and hungering for even the slightest whisper from his brother; he could almost imagine that he was here visiting with Mayan and Torvin in her childhood home, laughing with her guardian since the age of nine while Kili tired himself out on sword skills with Mayan. He could pretend that he had gone away to bathe for a few moments peace from the noise of the house, and that Kili had fallen asleep waiting for him. But there was no denying the bruised _everything_ his brother sported, the semen still covering his body, the stench of the whore house, or the blood, soaking through his thin blanket onto the forest floor. He pulled his toes out of the river, his bare chest heaving a sigh. There was no going back to anything now, there was no pretending. This sad and harsh reality was it. He knelt down by his brothers' side and placed a hand gently to his shoulder. He did not wish to startle him if, per chance, he had regained consciousness . As it was, he was still as out cold as when they had left the brothel. It was something that was beginning to bother Fili and if Kili didn't waken soon after he had him cleaned up, he was going to have Torvin take a look at him. But for now, all he wanted was to tend his abused body and soul as best he could. He peeled back the thin blanket, reached for his brother. He had to close his eyes and fight down the emotions within before he could pick him up and cradle him in his arms. The only skin that wasn't covered in fingerprints were his ankles and feet. It wasn't just his private space that was bleeding, there were a few half healed welt marks (he knew for sure they were from a whip) on his back as well. The rest of him was covered in dried or drying semen, dirt, and he knew not what else. He wondered vaguely how often they let him bathe. Looking at him tore his heart into pieces. So he shut his eyes , and cuddled his brother close. He rested his head on top of Kilis' , pressing a soft, brotherly kiss to his temple. For a moment, he stayed like that, , feeling his brothers' heartbeats on his skin, and his breaths misting against his neck. Though his breathing was shallow, his heart was still strong. It gave Fili the affirmation he needed, that his brother _would_ be okay. He would see to it that he was. He rose to his feet and brought Kili to the water. With a deep breath, he dipped him in. qTaking the cloth he'd brought with him, he dipped it in the water and began by cleaning Kilis' private spaces, taking away all the dirt , blood, and ssemen, both inside and out. He rubbed his skin till it glowed, careful around his bruises and welts. It was slow going , but Fili was committed to his brother. With a hand around his waist, he carefully took him into deeper water , up to Kili' chest, and pressing a hand to his nose and mouth, ducked him under the surface. He brought him back up as he took all the dirt from his long brown hair with his fingers. With a touch of sadness, he noted that the courting and the marriage braids Tauriel had put in were gone, the only ones he'd suffer to be there. So was the silver hair piece that had held back his front pieces .It was n heirloom passed from one Durin down to the next. It had denoted the line from which he came. It was like they had tried to scrub out any traces of who Kili had been , who had loved him, until he was just another piece of meat, another product to be sold. His musings grew dark as he stroked the hair back from his face. Flashes of how he would murder those people if he ever found them again. It was from these musings that he was pulled when he felt his brother stir in his arms. His brother moved feebly. In his slackened grip , he slipped through, and he might have gone under had it not been for Fili wrapping a strong arm around his waist.

"Fili?" Kilis' voice was rough and low. He immediately rushed to soothe him.

" It's okay Kili, you're with me, you aren't anywhere near those men anymore, we aren't anywhere near the brothel. I took you out of there , I promise."

" How?"

"Leo and Jasmine. He- Leo he just showed up at my doorstep one day out of the blue. He came by night, told me where he was from. he showed me proof and then begged me tell no one he was there. He told me he was there on your behalf. He said he was done watching you suffer. It was the first time he had been able to slip away with out drawing attention to himself. He and Jasmine and I came up with a way. Upon his return, they set it in motion. Jaasmine let me in, under the guise of being a customer. We're at Mayans' old house, with Torvin. He came down from Erebor to take care of us." Kilis' brow wrinkled,

" Us?"

" Leo and Jasmine. I brought them with me. I wasn't leaving them there, it's against the laws uncle made anyway." Kili gripped his brothers'

arm. His grip was stronger now. He was coming back from the shock.

" Are you okay?" He asked. " I mean they didn't do anything to you?"

" To me? No, they didn't even know I was there."

"Leo and Jasmine, are they okay?"

" Yes." Kili collapsed against his brother, arms going limp , resting his head on his brothers shoulder, closing his eyes. His brother wrapped warm , strong arms around him, holding him up in the water. " Kili?" He urged, " Are you okay?"

"Hmm, oh yeah, i'm fine." He mumbled happily. " I just missed you is all."

" Oh Kee." Fili whispered in return. A shiver ran up Kilis' spine, causing goose bumps on his exposed skin.

" It's cold out here."  
" The waters' warm Kili, it's one on a hot summers' day."  
" Ah, just me then."

" Leo says it's shock." Kili sniffed and frowned.

" That's unusual."

" Come on, let's get you out of the water." Kili sprawled out happily on the bank once they reached it and Fili went to grab the clothes he had brought for him. He helped him get dressed because he wasn't very steady. He kept asking if he was okay. Finally Kili responded as he laxced up his shirt front.

"Fee, i'm fine. I'm used to it." It was meant to be reassuring, but it wasn't to Fili. He no more liked the thought of him being _used to it_ then he liked the idea of being_ used_ _to _playing in cart traffic and being run over. His brothers fingers stilled on his shirt front at the very words. His blue eyes were clear with intent as they met the brown.

" You shouldn't be." After this Kili was silent, doing his best not to wince in pain from sitting so long on a still tender area, letting his brother work. After this, he gave his brother his arm and Fili pulled him to his feet. wrapping a warm arm around him as they headed back inside. Upon entering they found all three companions laughing hysterically at a retold memory from Torvins' youth. Apparently he had been quite accident prone around the age of seven.

" What a life , hah?" Fili said quietly. They all raised their heads and collectively looked from Fili, to his brother standing at his side. Torvin smiled warmly.

"Yeah, it is."

Kili entered quietly, flopping himself next to Leo. His older brother joined Torvin in a quiet talk by the stove, where he was working on finishing some stew. Leo promptly wrestled him into a bear hug.

" Ah, you little bastard, i'm glad you're awake, because now I get the chance to royally _strangle_ you to death, you idiot."

"I love you too, Leo." Kili returned. Jasmine reached over and stroked a few strands of auburn hair out of his eyes.

" Leo, let him up." She prodded softly. Leo did so, instead choosing to poke a finger in Kilis' face as he sat up.

" Listen you, I spend_ far_ too much of my time keeping the pair of you alive, see that's the way I happen to prefer my friends, living. So i'd thank _you_ to kindly take care of your damn self so I don't have to bury you early."

"Okay." Kili responded, already smiling. Leo returned a not unkind glance, rubbing his still sore knuckles.

"Oh, there's one other thing. Uh, I took these off you when you came in, they looked important and Vin would have had them in a flash. I've managed to hide them long enough, he couldn't find them. I figure it's time you got them back." Leo shoved a hand in one of the pockets of his robe, and produced, the silver hair clip, and the beads that had gone with the braids Tauriel had put in. For a moment, Kili just looked at him dumbly, then he quietly closed his hand around the precious objects, and slid them securely back into a pouch around his waist. Leo had put himself in great danger concealing such things for so long. Anyone who was caught withholding possessions was mercilessly whipped till they bled. As he opened his mouth to speak, Leo waved him away with his bruising fingers.

"Yeah, yeah, you're welcome." He hated calling attention to himself. His knuckles were starting to turn red and black and purple and Kili noticed.

" What'd you do?" He questioned.

" Oh, he didn't tell you?" Jasmine cut in, taking Leos' bruised hand in her own and cradling it. " Leo here, punched a patron out as we were leaving, see his face?" Kili squinted as she turned it just so. The knife mark and the dried blood were clearly visible.

"Mmm, that's not good, you should get that looked at- wait, Leo did that ? Our Leo- never retaliate, they'll get what they asked for in the end, that Leo?" Kili confirmed incredulously.

" Mmhm." Came Jasmines' response.

" Huh, " Kili returned, grabbing Leos' face and inspecting the wound, " Well good for you Leo, did you hit him hard?" Leo mumbled something that Kili could only half hear, slurring his words. It was then he felt his fever reddened cheek in his palm, and saw the way he struggled to keep his eyes open. "Leo!" He prodded. Leo managed to give him a dazed look as he released him. " Get some rest, lie down." Leo half mumbled something again. With that Torvin came over, distributing bowls of food, shoving one under Filis' nose as well. He had noticed his friends' lack of appetite lately, and he didn't like it. He still picked at his food, worrying over something or other, but every now and then , He would cast his brother a tired smile. It wasn't much, but it was something . The rest of them ate voraciously, Leo missing his mouth and eventually having Jasmine help him. Torvin took the bowls when they were finished.

" You know, Leo, I think you and I are going to be great friends. Some of those patrons need a good foot in the ass every once in a while. "

" Sometimes morem shen onesh."

" Are you sure you're okay?" Fili cut in sharply as Leo struggled with his words.

" I'm fine-"

" C'mon," Kili urged, " You need to let someone see to you." He tried to get him up so that Torvin could give him a once over, But he struggled away.

" Stop! No, I don't want-" Finally he collapsed into Kilis' side, gripping him tightly and closing his eyes.

" Don't worry, " Fili reassured as Kili put his arms around him, "We'll have someone look at him when we get to Erebor. It's only a few more hours."  
"Erebor." Kili whispered. The name was a caress, one he longed for. Everything for him besides his beloved brother rested in that mountain. " When?" Fili smiled.

" At dawn, rest now brother."


End file.
